Dinner Never Goes As Planned
by DjDangerLove
Summary: Just a litle family fic involving Neal and the Burkes. Neal whumpage as usual. Worried Peter and Elizabeth. No Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**This takes place after Point Blank...**

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It wasn't surprising when pain shot through Neal Caffrey's back. The young con artist wasn't worried when the pain in his back rolled up his spine and pulsed in his head or when his stomach twisted causing him to swallow thickly. He clenched his hands in his lap underneath the Burke's dinning room table and put up the best facade he could muster so he wouldn't be interrogated by the agent who sat across from him or mothered to death by the agent's wife to his left.

He let his eyes follow the woman he had come to think of as a mother at times, stand from the table and clear the dishes. Once she was in the kitchen and no longer visible, Neal began to count the lines the wood created on the tabletop in front of him as a way to distract himself from the war going on inside his body. His head lazily snapped up when his handler's voice made its way across the room and filtered into his ringing ears. Peter's voice sounded muffled and so far away despite the fact he was right in front of the con artist. Neal tilted his aching head to the side with a questioning look indicating he didn't understand whatever it was Peter was saying. When Peter spoke again, Neal watched his lips to determine what the agent was saying.

"Are you sure you are alright, Neal?"

Neal numbly nodded his head once to say yes, not trusting his voice to communicate. He was relieved when Elizabeth appeared at the table again with dessert, ending the dreaded conversation with Peter. She sat a plate with a piece of pumpkin pie down in front of Neal and placed a fork beside it on the table and did the same for her husband and herself. Once she was seated he watched as the two older adults began to dig in. He locked eyes with Elizabeth and saw her ask, "Aren't you going to eat any, Neal? You've been talking about my pumpkin pie all week." She gave a small laugh but her eyes held more of a concerned look than a humorous one. Neal weakly smiled at her and turned his attention back to his own plate. He released the grip his right hand had on his left and slowly lifted it but stopped when he reached the top of the table. His hand trembled ever so slightly but it was still noticeable to the human eye. He dropped it quickly, but suddenly felt like a deer in the headlights. He had no idea what to do. He didn't trust his voice to lie his way through the concerned looks that were thrown his way or his legs to allow him to run out the front door. For the first time in years, Neal Caffrey couldn't do anything. He just sat there and stared at the steam rolling off the piece of pumpkin pie in front of him. He felt like a caged animal and began to panic. The ringing in his ears amplified, deafening the young man to any other sounds. He could feel the tremors break free from his hands and surge through his whole body and a cold sweat start to form on his forehead. His heart began to pound painfully in his chest which only made the thunderous pain in his head increase.

He brought shaking hands up to grasp his head as the world started to tilt. Black smudged his vision as he felt gravity pulling him from his chair to the hard floor below. He braced his aching body for one final blow, but it never came. Instead firm, calloused hands caught him underneath his arms and gently lowered him to the floor. Through blurred vision, he could the outline of a worried Peter and a frantic Elizabeth. He felt the agent give him a firm shake and a few gentle slaps on the cheek before giving into darkness.

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**AN: If you would like for me to continue this story let me know... next chapter will be how Peter saw this then the result of all of this. It'll only be two or three chapters long. Nothing is seriously wrong with Neal. I know I'm kinda giving this away but this was just a way for me to get back into writing since I gave it up for awhile. I'm trying to get back to Forgiveness is the Best Form of Life Support and The Only Thing That Can Save Him...I just kinda hit a dead end. And most likely won't finish You Criminal's Keeper... Anyway! I'll stop rambling! Thanks for reading! Let me know what ya think! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Peter stared at the younger man, who was supposedly Neal Caffrey, sitting across from him at his dinning room table. As irrational as the thought may have seemed, Peter couldn't help but debate if it was really his partner or not. The Neal Caffrey he knew was never this quiet, this pale, this tired and certainly not this distant and disengaged. He blinked away all of the thoughts tumbling around in his head and shared a look with his wife who only mirrored his suspicion and concern. He watched his wife give him a pointed look which he was all too familiar with, and then turned his attention back to Neal whose attention was on his wife. Once Elizabeth was in the kitchen, Neal stared at the table as if in a trance. Peter felt his concern grow and the agent couldn't stop the all too familiar wave of protectiveness that washed over him.

"Hey! You with me?" Peter asked, snapping his fingers as he leaned his arms on the table.

Peter inhaled quickly as Neal's head seemed to snap back as if the bones in his neck liquefied, but let out the sudden intake of air slowly when Neal's gaze finally locked onto his for possibly the first time that night, although in a confused manner.

"Are you sure you are alright Neal?" Peter's eyes squinted slightly in suspicion and doubt of a truthful answer. He saw Neal give one nod of his head and let his eyes shift slowly from the younger man to his wife who had just returned with dessert.

Peter along with his wife began to eat the fresh baked pumpkin pie while stealing glances at Neal who had yet to pick up his fork.

"Aren't you going to eat any, Neal? You've talking about my pumpkin pie all week." Elizabeth attempted to voice her concern in a nonchalant way. Neal weakly smiled at her, and Peter felt disappointment creep its way through his chest. If Elizabeth, the mother hen of all mother hens, couldn't break through the walls Neal put up, who could?

Peter tensed slightly when Neal's hand reached the top of the table, the tremors minimal but visible, but when Neal quickly dropped his hand back into his lap and his face took on a deer in the headlights look which quickly turned into fear Peter dropped his fork with a loud clank.

Peter knew that if Neal couldn't conceal his true emotions, Neal wasn't in control.

"Neal?" Peter's voice was testy.

"Neal?" Peter asked more forceful but quickly regretted it as Neal's hands grasped tightly at the sides of his head in pain. Neal started to tilt in his chair.

Peter stood quickly and made his way around the table just in time to catch his best friend underneath the arms, protecting him from the hard fall he was about to endure. As gently as he could, he laid Neal down on the floor. Half opened blue eyes lazily stared blankly ahead and Peter's stomach churned and he swallowed thickly. The agent felt his skin burn with panic and heard the blood rushing through his ears. He placed sweaty hands on Neal's trembling shoulders and shook him trying to get a reaction from his consultant.

"Come on, Buddy. Stay with me. Tell me what's wrong." Peter demanded sternly. He was fighting an up hill battle he knew he couldn't win, but he couldn't bring himself to just let Neal slip away into unconsciousness . Neal was his responsibility. It was his job to protect Neal from anything and everything. Even if it was not humanly possible he would still try. He gently slapped Neal's face desperately trying to keep his partner with him.

"Come on. Come on, Neal. Stay with me!" Peter coaxed but it was no use. He watched devastatingly as glazed eyes slid closed and silently prayed it wouldn't be the last time he saw those two pools of blue.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter placed two fingers on Neal's neck and was relieved when he felt a pulse although it was slightly irregular. For the first time, since Neal fell over Peter looked up to his wife who had tears streaming down her face.

"I'm going to call 9-1-1!" She said frantically as she turned to find the phone but the agent stopped her.

"No! We'll take him. We don't need to wait on them to get here. We can be there in a shorter amount of time." Peter stated trying to remain as calm as possible for everyone in this situation. He saw his wife put a hand over her mouth as she tried to console her worry.

"Elizabeth, he is going to be fine, alright? Just go start the car. I'll meet you out there, okay?" Peter said in a calm tone, the trained agent in him coming out. Once Elizabeth nodded and went to retrieve the car keys, Peter turned his attention back to his unconscious partner. He rubbed a hand across his face, debating on the best way to get Neal to the car. He blinked a few times before sliding his left arm underneath Neal's shoulders and his right arm in the bends of the younger man's knees. He slowly lifted his partner up, but when he was only mere inches from the ground Neal began to stir. Peter gently placed him back on the floor but held Neal up against him. The con artist's head rolled into Peter's chest as he let out a groan then he rolled it back along the agent's arm and blinked sluggishly up at Peter.

"P`tr?" Neal slurred as he closed his eyes.

"Hey! No. No. No. Stay awake, Neal. Come on, Buddy, open your eyes. " Peter commanded as he shook his partner. He saw glassy blue eyes look up at him then turned his attention to his wife running into the room.

"I got the ke-" Elizabeth stopped mid-sentence and froze when she noticed that Neal was conscious again. Then in a split second she was on her knees in front of her husband and the boy she loved as a son. She ran a comforting hand through Neal's hair.

"Neal? Are you okay?" She asked as she smoothed his hair back and placed her other hand on his chest. She watched as Neal laid his head against the front of Peter's shoulder and waited for Neal to reply, but he never did.

"Come on, sweetie. Talk to us. We need you to tell us what's going on." She tried to encourage him to answer but Neal just blinked sluggishly and stared straight ahead. She glanced up at her husband, silently begging him to do something.

"Elizabeth go start the car. We are taking him to the hospital." Peter said. Elizabeth didn't even have time to react before Neal yelled out.

"No!" The con artist sat up straight and tried desperately to get away from Peter. It took a few seconds for Peter to react, but once the shock disappeared he wrapped strong arms around Neal and pulled him back to his body. Neal pushed weakly at the agent's heaving chest with trembling hands.

"No….no. No. Pl...please. No" Neal softly pleaded before what little energy he had left his body.

Peter placed a hand in Neal's sweat matted hair before replying.

"Sorry, kid. You are going." Peter said sympathetically.

"No. I'm…I'm fine. This isn't the first ti-" Neal suddenly stopped speaking, his mind telling him he said more than he wanted to. He could feel the safe haven that surrounded him, being Elizabeth and Peter, disappear as the sluggish words rolled off his tongue. He felt the agent's muscles tense and Elizabeth retract her comforting hands from his back with a soft intake of breath.

"What isn't the first time?" It was Peter who spoke.

Neal closed his eyes as he became aware of the anger in Peter's voice.

"Neal! Answer me, Damn it!" Peter bellowed his anger growing more when Neal didn't answer the first time.

Neal jumped at the sudden anger directed towards him and the tremors returned to his body as panic started to creep its way back in.

"Peter!" Elizabeth shouted, outraged at her husband's reaction. She gave him a pointed look before wrapping her arms around Neal pulling him out of her husband's grasp and held him close to her as she rocked back and forth ever so slightly trying to calm the man that claimed the title of the closest thing she had to a child.

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**AN: Next chapter...I'm thinking will be Elizabeth in mother hen mode...What do you think? Hmmm... **


	4. Chapter 4

Elizabeth sat on the couch holding a now calm Neal close to her. His head rested on her shoulder as he stared off into space. She rubbed a soft hand up and down his arm as she rested her own head in Neal's dark, wavy hair. No words had been spoken since Elizabeth took Neal out of Peter's grasp and helped him to the couch, besides her soothing words she whispered to the con artist.

She looked around the living room decorated with everything from plants to art and a few pictures of the happily married couple that lived there. Satchmo sat curled up at her husband's feet who sat in the adjacent chair in the room. She loved her small family more than anything in the world. She considered herself the luckiest woman in the world, but she couldn't dismiss the small part of her that felt like something was missing. She blinked a few times to rid the thoughts in her head. Now wasn't a time to think of her self, because Neal needed her right now. Neal needed her to be the mother that she was sure he had not had in quite some time.

She made eye contact with her husband before signaling for him to leave. He gave her a shocked look before rolling his eyes with a sigh and going outside with Satchmo right behind him. Elizabeth waited for a few minutes before speaking.

"Neal, you know Peter isn't mad at you right?" She asked him softly, her head still resting in his unusual, unruly hair. She paused, allowing time for Neal to reply but he never did. She raised her head and placed her hand there instead, moving her fingers through his locks. Sighing, she pushed Neal off of her and held him at arms length by his shoulders.

"Neal. Look at me. Look at me Neal." She ordered in a parental tone.

She saw pain, sadness, loss and desperation flash across watery blue eyes and she knew she had struck a nerve. She softened her tone as she held his head in her hands.

"Neal….sweetie…..you of all people should know how Peter is. He sometimes forgets that he has a bedside manner or even just a human instinct. The agent in him just covers it up. He isn't angry at you, honey. He just…he cares about you so much, more than he will ever admit to anyone, even himself and when you passed out we didn't know what was wrong. We were worried sick and then you wake up and assure us you don't need a hospital because you are use to this? You can't blame him for being upset, Neal. I am a little angry myself. What's going on, Neal?" Elizabeth's voice was wavering through emotions as she spoke to Neal. She watched as blue shameful eyes dropped to the floor, but he still made no move to reply. Suddenly Elizabeth had an idea.

"Neal, don't you trust us? Haven't we done enough? Haven't we proved that we care about you?" Elizabeth asked her voice rising with fake anger only she realized wasn't real. She hid the triumphant smile that threatened to spread across her face as Neal's head shot up so he could look at her.

"Elizabeth…of course you have…its just-" Neal replied desperately but the woman cut him off. She felt bad for breaking the younger man even more but it had to be done. She softened her tone.

"Really? Because you don't act like it. We have to pry information out of you just to get you to talk to us."

"I know….I'm sorry…I just-" Neal stumbled for words.

"Neal…..we love you very much. We only want what is best for you. Peter has tried so hard to give this new life to you, to keep you on the right side of the law and out of a prison cell. And I think you will agree that it hasn't been the easiest task Peter has taken on. I've done my best to help him and be a voice of reason for you when Peter gets frustrated and loses sight of what is most important. But he will never give up on you. We will never give up on you, no matter how much trouble you get yourself into. You know why?"

Admiring blue eyes looked quizzical at her as Neal shook his head.

"Because it's impossible." She stated simply.

"What's impossible?" Neal asked.

"It's impossible for us to give up on our family." She replied, smiling motherly as Neal's eyes widened in surprise.

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Peter sat out back on the porch.

_She made me leave. She is taking his side. Why do they always gang up on me?_ Peter thought to himself as he rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. He blew out a long breath and stared up at the night sky as a memory came back to him.

_Neal sat in front of him in the conman's apartment at June's house at the kitchen table, fingering the missing piece, the key, to the music box that sat on the table, his blue eyes holding a slight hurtful, but understanding look. _

"_No more secrets, Peter." Neal said with a shake of the head. _

"_No more secrets." He replied._

Opening his eyes as the memory faded he thought, _What happened to no more secrets?_

His thoughts went back to the recent events at dinner. Now that he thought about it he knew he had overreacted when Neal _almost_ told them that this had happened before, but he was so worried when Neal blacked out that the thought of this happening before and not knowing about it scared Peter to death. In the back of his mind, he saw Neal flinch at his outburst and he felt his heart shatter.

_Leave it to me to make him feel worse._

Peter's mind was being tormented with guilt. All he wanted was for Neal to be okay, to be the man that deep down was a little kid, a little kid with a cheeky grin, bright blue eyes and a big heart. He wanted the little kid that drove him crazy with antics, kept him awake most of the night with worry, and the little kid that admired and respected him and looked up to him, the one he would look after and protect. Knowing he wasn't going to get that sitting outside, he stood and made his way back into the living room before that little kid was gone forever and the shell of a broken man was the only thing left.

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**AN: I know there isn't a clear answer to what is wrong with Neal yet(I'll remind you it is in no way serious...or I'll just tell you it is stress/anxiety/panic related to the events of point blank haha) ...but the next chapter will be the last chapter...so everything will be wrapped up in the next chapter. This was just a story to get myself back into the flow of writing and in no way did I think this many people would like this...So I thank you for reading and being so kind! and I apologize if you are disappointed with the outcome of this story! Anyway, as always thanks for reading and review! :)**


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